MANILA, Philippines — National Telecommunications Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba at a hearing on Tuesday said that the commission intended to issue provisional authority to broadcast giant ABS-CBN despite concerns that this would only further exacerbate the network's plethora of legal troubles.
This came as the House Legislative Franchise Committee, chaired by Rep. Franz Alvarez (Palawan), tackled ABS-CBN franchise renewal at Tuesday afternoon's hearing.
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Provisional authority allows the broadcast giant to continue operating while their franchise renewal is still pending in Congress.
ABS-CBN Corporation's current legislative franchise,
which was approved by virtue of Republic Act 7966, expires on May 4, 2020.
On February 26, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Alvarez wrote and asked NTC to issue provisional authority to the network to operate “from May 4, 2020 until such time that the Congress has
made a decision on its application.”
The broadcast company has been in hot water after government lawyers on February 10 accused the network of “unlawfully exercising their legislative franchises under Republic Act No. 7966 and Republic Act No. 8332” by, among other allegations, operating the Kapamilya Box Office pay-per-view service.
Rep. Edcel Lagman (Albay) said that provisional authority was just “alternative relief” that puts ABS-CBN “into a quagmire of legal problems,” saying that this did not
alleviate the need to have their franchise renewed.
A separate Senate hearing, whose legitimacy Cayetano called into question, found that the broadcast giant complied with all laws and regulations.
Within the lower chamber, ranking lawmakers have gone on record to say that
they were asked to withdraw support for a resolution urging the House Committee on Legislative Franchises to act on bills for the renewal of the network's franchise.
READ: House reps asked to withdraw support for ABS-CBN resolution, solon says
Others have said that hearings for the bill were being stalled because they did not have clearance from Cayetano, who has admitted he held personal complaints against the network.
This is despite Cayetano's consistent promise that
the franchise renewal would be given a fair and
objective hearing in the Duterte-dominated House.
Duterte has repeatedly said that he will see that ABS-CBN's franchise will not
be extended, although the Palace has also said that the president, whose words often translate into policy, will not meddle in the affairs of Congress. — with report from Kristine Joy Patag